'Local' crops could be wholesale

Locavores, beware: If you see cherries or crisp asparagus displayed at farmers markets still open this season, they probably aren't from around here.

Jessica DiNapoli

Locavores, beware: If you see cherries or crisp asparagus displayed at farmers markets still open this season, they probably aren't from around here.

Many shoppers stop at community farmers markets to buy produce that has just been picked locally, not trucked in from a wholesaler somewhere else. The rules governing most markets prioritize freshness and "traceability," meaning a consumer can follow the path a tomato took to arrive on his or her plate.

But, some local farmers say they've seen others who work the system, selling wholesale produce of unclear origin in markets meant only for local fruits and veggies.

"It's basically cheating and breaking the rules," said Hector Tejada, a New Paltz farmer.

There are rules at farmers markets that guard against cheats, and many markets allow farmers to supplement their crops by buying from other local growers, said Maire Ullrich, the agriculture program leader at Cornell Cooperative Extension in Orange County. She does some farm inspections and verifications for farmers market managers who want to ensure produce is local.

Some markets allow vendors to buy up to 30 percent of the produce they sell, but the fill-ins have to be from local farmers, Ullrich said. The "grow your own" threshold for farmers accepting payment through Women, Infant, Children or similar programs for seniors is lower, according to a spokesman for the New York State Department of Agriculture & Markets.

Kevin Smith, a second-generation farmer at Sycamore Farms in the Town of Wallkill, has spotted suspect produce at Greenmarket, a network of more than 50 farmers markets in New York City that's part of the nonprofit organization GrowNYC.

About 25 percent of the 200-plus farms that participate in Greenmarket come from Orange, Ulster or Sullivan counties.

Smith said he has seen farms similar to his family's 240-acre spread selling 10 times more produce than he does at Greenmarket. The farmer with the outsized bounty likely did not grow it, he said.

"There's a disconnect," he said. "It's a small farm (selling) on an industrial scale."

Other local farmers have also spotted growers openly disregarding farmers market rules.

Gary Glowaczewski, who owns R&G Produce in Pine Island with his brother, Ray, regularly sees a farmer at Greenmarket selling produce clearly bought wholesale. Vegetables like peppers are all the same size — indicating they've been run through a grader — and the boxes are all new, he said.

But he doesn't let it bother him.

"Our stuff is better, so it doesn't matter," he said. "You can tell ours is from the farm. Our bunches are huge."

Farmers who buy wholesale produce and resell it in the city have a competitive advantage, because they don't have to pay for labor, among other costs, said Kira Kinney, who owns Evolutionary Organics in New Paltz. It's fairly inexpensive to buy wholesale produce, she said.

Kinney is on Greenmarket's Farmer and Consumer Advisory Committee, which implements the organization's mission and enforces its regulations.

The board is part of Greenmarket's system of inspections and whistleblowing that makes sure produce is actually local.

Before joining Greenmarket, vendors must provide verification that they're farmers and must submit a crop plan, said Greenmarket director Michael Hurwitz.

Farm inspections, another key element in making sure produce is local, appear to be done unevenly. Smith said his farm hasn't been inspected once in the past seven years, even though he recently planted fruit trees and started bringing peaches to market. Kinney has had a similar experience.

But, Glowaczewski generally has had to guide Greenmarket inspectors around his 300 acres once or twice a year.

Greenmarket's staff is limited, Hurwitz said. Certain farm visits are prioritized, and new rules governing where products can be sourced sometimes dictate where inspectors go.

Elke Noll, a natural foods chef who was shopping last week at a farmers market in Monroe, said she has asked farmers about produce and some admit it's bought from another local grower or a wholesaler.

She buys local and usually organic produce because of concerns about pesticides.

Smith is in the midst of a bold move, partly breaking away from Greenmarket. He has resigned from Greenmarket's advisory committee.

And he's building a 4,000-square-foot farm stand and bakery on Route 211 in a rural part of the Town of Wallkill. Even though he will get less for his produce in Orange County than he would in the city, he's investing close to $250,000 on the project.

At the stand, he won't have to worry about counterfeit produce undercutting the price of his own, though he plans to supplement his offerings with local fruit grown by others and labeled as such.

Smith will still participate in Greenmarket — dubbed by his father as the "golden goose" for the farm — but wants a better handle on his business's destiny. His market is scheduled to open in June.